BIG NIGHT DINNER – THE DAY OF THE MOVIE AND DINNER

With the recipe for the Timpano is a specific reference where to acquire several vessels for its construction.  As it turns out, an old-timey wash basin works perfectly.

The dough was made and allowed to rest before being rolled out very thinly and used to line the Timpano pan.

At this point all of the prepared Timpano ingredients were assembled.

The sauced pasta, the meats, the cheeses (sharp Provolone, Pecorino Romano, Mozzarella, and Parmigiano Reggiano), the hard boiled eggs and the ragout are repeatedly layered until the Timpano is filled.

It is then sealed at the bottom and placed in the oven to bake.

Given that the baked Timpano can end up weighing between 15 and 20 pounds, turning it over onto a cutting board takes both strength and agility.

All of the prepared Tourte ingredients are assembled and the spring-form pan is lined with puff pastry

Unlike the Timpano, the layers of the Tourte are done individually in a specific order to obtain the desired effect.

The Porchetta was slow roasted in the oven over three hours and then finished under the broiler.

Following the showing of Big Night the movie, all of the meats and several salads were placed on the table.  This meal was designed to be buffet style.

When everyone’s appetite was at the boiling over stage the Timpano was cut.

The Tourte was cut.

The Porchetta was cut.

After seconds and thirds of the main courses, it was time for some dessert.

In addition to the Tiramisu we earlier in the day prepared a second dessert, a Ricotta Chocolate Chip Pie.  For this, a chocolate cookie pie crust is basically filled with cannoli filling with mini chocolate chips and chopped almonds.  This is topped with a not too sweet whipped cream, shaved chocolate and toasted almond slivers.

Of course Italian desserts require Italian coffee made in a good Italian coffee machine.

Much like the movie, when our guests could eat no more, they nonetheless seemed pleased with the experience.

By the end of the evening everyone was tired including the puppy Danechka.

As Louise and I thought about the movie and dinner experience we both decided we really enjoyed every aspect of it.  Certainly the days of prep and cooking are always enjoyable; that our guests were seemingly pleased with the experience was very rewarding for us; but we most of all enjoy bringing together friends of ours who have never met before and watching new friendships grow.

I guess our next movie and dinner night will have to revolve around our second favorite foodie movie – “Mostly Martha. “  Stay tuned.

BIG NIGHT DINNER – THE PREP BEGINS

The first steps will be to make the two tomato sauces for the dinner.  The first is based on the recipe suggested in the Tucci and Scappin cookbook for use in the Timpano.  It is basically a ragout of pork and beef that is slow cooked for a long time.  The meat is then removed and the meaty tomato sauce is used in the Timpano.

 The removed meat makes a really good pulled pork/beef sandwich or topping on pasta.

The second sauce to accompany the Porchetta is based on a marinara sauce made with pancetta.

With the two sauces done it’s on to meatballs that will be part of the Timpano.  There must be thousands of recipes for Italian meatballs.  I like a traditional one simply made with pork and beef, bread crumbs, and flavored with fennel seed, garlic, oregano, and parsley.

These are made small and fried before mixing them in the tomato sauce to finish.

Next is the pre-cooking of good Italian sausage.

Genoa salami is diced.

The Timpano also contains hard boiled eggs.  The easiest and best way to accomplish this is to place room temperature eggs in a single layer in a pot, cover by one inch with cold water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes for large eggs, then run under cold water until cool.  They can be peeled at that point or stored in their shells in the refrigerator for up to one week.

 Good Italian pasta is cooked al dante and some of the ragout is mixed in.  With this done all of the prep for the Tampano, with the exception of the external dough, is done.

Next is the prep of the Tourte Milanese.

Although many component items can be purchased in stores, some things are better done yourself.  The roasting and peeling of red peppers is one of those things.  First they are charred under the broiler and then immediately placed in plastic bags to steam.  This step allows for the easy removal of the skin.

Once peeled, the peppers are cut and cleaned for the Tourte

The life of a Sous-Chef de Cuisine is never easy.  Here Sous-Chef Louise, shortly after her latest and hopefully last surgery, is de-stemming two pounds of spinach.

The spinach is then sautéed with garlic.

Another ingredient in the Tourte are very loosely scrambled eggs (they will continue cooking when the Tourte is baked) which are flavored with tarragon, chives, and parsley.

Good quality ham and imported Swiss cheese are store bought.


Preparing the Porchetta requires a little butchering skills.  A skin-on pork belly which is basically uncured bacon and a pork loin roast are cleaned.

Slits are made in the meat and lemon zest, garlic, fennel seeds, salt and pepper are rubbed in.

The whole thing is rolled up and tied.

The Porchetta is then wrapped in plastic and then tin foil and is then placed in the refrigerator overnight for the flavors to meld.

The day before the party we made our two desserts.  First was a Tiramisu.  There are many recipes for Tiramisu, but one we think is the best is made from raw egg yolks and whites, and crispy imported Italian lady finger cookies called Savoiardi.

These cookies are dipped in a mixture of espresso and rum, and everything is layered.  This also goes in the refrigerator overnight.

BIG NIGHT DINNER – THE PRELUDE

In addition to being totally addicted to good food, Louise and I are also into movies.  Although our tastes in movies generally differ (Louise liking comedies and musicals and I liking action films), they also overlap in many areas as well.  Most importantly, we both love foodie films.  Although we have many in our collection one has always stood out as the best of the best.  “Big Night” which came out in 1996 has an incredible all-star cast, including Tony Shalhoub, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Minnie Driver, Allison Janney, and Ian Holm.  Oh did I mention Isabella Rossellini?  Set in the late 1950s in a coastal town in New Jersey, two brothers come from Italy to open a restaurant.  Despite producing some of the most incredible regional Italian food, those Americans seem only to want meatballs and spaghetti.  In a desperate attempt to keep their restaurant afloat, the two brothers produce the most incredible Italian feast in the hopes that a famous musician and the media will re-vitalize their business.  

Not only is this movie a realistic depiction of the difficulty introducing new and wonderful culinary experiences to unsophisticated palettes, but it is also a metaphor for many experiences in life.  Sometimes someone can put in front of you something new and wonderful but fear of change or fear of the different precludes you from experiencing new opportunities, and as in the case of Big Night, to your own detriment.

Now that the “stage is set,” we decided to invite 15 folks, most of who have not seen the movie, to come watch it at our house.  Of course, it is physically impossible for us to show a movie without also cooking something for our guests to eat.  The movie makes it both easy and difficult to decide on a menu for the dinner.  On the one hand the movie presents multiple wonderful dishes.  On the other, many are complex and time consuming to recreate.  Of all of the dishes featured in this movie the one that is most prominent, and rightly so, is the Timpano.  Describing this dish is not easy.  I think of it as “What would an Italian grandmother do with a massive amount of wonderful leftovers and the need to feed 20 or more people?”

So influential was this movie in foodie circles that in 1999 the cookbook Cucina & Famiglia, authored by Joan Tropiano Tucci and Gianni Scappin, came out.  Not only is there a recipe for a Timpano but it is an all around good Italian cookbook.

With the Timpano as our starting point we devised a buffet style menu to celebrate this movie.  Included are the following:

·        A salad of plum tomatoes and mozzarella, with basil and balsamic vinaigrette.

·        The Timpano

·        A Porchetta

·        A Tourte Milanese

·        Tiramisu

·        Ricotta Chocolate Chip Pie

It is now about a week out from the party so the cooking must begin.  Not being an Italian grandmother I have to start making all of those leftovers to include in the dishes.

French Almond Cake

We had the great pleasure of being invited to partake in the inauguration of our neighbors Laurie and Paul’s deep fat turkey fryer.  The turkey itself as well as all of the food that everyone brought was great.

Our contribution was a French almond cake whose base comes from a Jacque Pépin recipe.  What makes the cake itself so good is our use of French almond paste in the recipe.  Also nice about this recipe is that it is made in a food processor.

We make this cake in a pan that has an indention in the bottom (top when you turn it over) that can be filled with many different types of fillings such as pastry cream or as in this version ganache.  But I am jumping ahead….

A nicely baked cake, browned on the outside and soft and moist on the inside.

First, to add to the existing almondness (I’m not sure that is a real word) the cake is further moistened in a soaking syrup made with Disaronno Originale, an Italian almond liqueur.

Next, the indentation is filled in with ganache which is made with Valrhona Manjari 64% dark chocolate.  A video of making ganache is in an earlier blog posting.

Once the ganache has set, the top is decorated with cut strawberries.

Finally, the cake is glazed with a neural clear gel which not only keeps the fruit fresh but also gives it a nice shine.

Given the number of expected guests, we made two cakes to be sure that there would be seconds if requested.  Needless to say we all had a great time eating appetizers, turkey, sides, and dessert.

PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY

Professionally as a Neuropsychologist I engage in continuing education to keep my skills up to date in many related areas.  This pursuit does require me to leave my kitchen from time to time.  For several years I have attended the Psychopharmacology Update sponsored by the Nevada Psychiatric Association and the University of Nevada School of Medicine.  This is an international conference held in Las Vegas that covers many aspects of psychopathology and its treatment.  This year was a day on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as well as presentations on child and adolescent Bipolar Disorder, Autism, self-injury, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and adolescent brain development.  Although I learned a lot about prescription medications, I also had to pursue those that were non-prescription and otherwise readily available.  Oh, and did I mention also legal to possess.

With a little research I found that Las Vegas has as last count thirteen chocolatiers and pastry shops.  Chocolate has been described as one of nature’s most complex and satisfying substances, with many varied health benefits.  Rather than get into the chemistry of chocolate in depth, the Huffington Post article by John Robbins is a great summary of the available knowledge.

John Robbins: Chocolate's Startling Health Benefits

Suffice to say that chocolate contains several antioxidants that positively impact cholesterol and blood pressure.  Also in chocolate is theobromine which is a mood enhancer that increases serotonin in the brain, as well as phenethylamine that supports that production of pleasure enhancing endorphins.

Using myself as a test subject, along with my trusty research assistant Louise, we sampled the “medications” dispensed by three of Las Vegas’ finest.  This included lunch and pastries, as well as French macaroons (nothing like those coconut blobs) at Chef Payard’s Patisserie.  Each of the following websites are well worth checking out.

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro - Caesars Palace - Las Vegas

We also visited the wonderfully creative and artistic establishment of Chef Max Brenner.  On his menu are such delights as “Illegal Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Pancakes.”  I even got the tee-shirt.  I did however forget the camera so pictures will have to wait for our next trip.

Max Brenner

Finally, there is Chef Jean Philippe’s shop.  The chocolate fountain is reportedly 27’ tall and employs 2,100 pounds of white, milk, and dark chocolates.  I think that the photos speak for themselves.

Chocolate by Jean Philippe

When I got home I decided to check my “medicine cabinet.”  Luckily it was well stocked with all that I need to keep my mood in check when facing the challenges of daily life.  French pharmaceuticals are always the best.



Louise’s Birthday

Over the years we all develop traditions around special occasions, and we are no different.  Since Louise’s birthday typically occurs around football playoff time and given that it was started in Chicago in January where it is not uncommon to have negative number wind chills, her choices represented hunkering down comfort food.

Given that the playoffs are an all day affair her selections include “breakfast,” something to munch on during the games, and “dinner.”

This “breakfast” again reflects the Murphy’s Law that states “That which takes the longest to prepare, takes the shortest to eat.”  In this case, Nancy Silverton’s recipe for “Pecan Sticky Buns” in the book Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan. 

For this recipe you have to first make Brioche, which if you are not familiar, is a wonderfully buttery and eggy French bread.  For this very flavorful version you first make a sponge, then prepare the dough which incorporates six ounces of butter, and have it go through two separate risings.  Twenty-our hours later you now have the dough needed to begin to prepare the sticky buns.  A good part of a day is needed for this second phase before baking can occur.

When the dough is ready it is rolled out, covered with sugar, nuts, and butter, then re-rolled.  The dough is then sliced to make the individual buns.  Nuts are placed on top of each and then they are placed in a pan with butter and brown sugar and allowed to proof.

Once baked they are turned out and eaten as soon as they cool a little.

Now like any tradition, aspects of the ritual are open for change.  After approximately 10 years of this one, Louise announced this morning “I’d like bacon with this next year.”  I guess that throughout history such epiphanies have resulted in great alterations in life.

The afternoon munchie is Louise’s own creation – clam dip.  Clams, cream cheese, and seasonings.  With some good salty chips, this dish gives you all of the energy you need to maintain a constant level of yelling at the TV.

Finally, there is “dinner.”  Some people can eat breakfast for lunch or dinner.  Given the meat in this dish, it appears to be not unreasonable to do so.  Therefore, corned beef hash with a softly fried egg on top make up the final meal of the day.

Onion, red and green pepper, potatoes, and corn beef are sautéed.

Everything is plated and topped with two eggs.

Did I mention the left over pecan sticky buns from breakfast?